1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a releasable end stop for an assembly of carriers and spacers that can be moved longitudinally within a head rail of an architectural covering, such as a covering for an architectural opening, like a window or door, particularly a vertical venetian blind, in order to open and close the covering.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Vertical venetian blinds have generally been provided with horizontally-extending head rails, holding a plurality of carriers or travellers that can be moved in spaced apart relationship along the longitudinal length of each head rail. Each carrier has typically supported a vertically-extending louver or slat in such a manner that the consumer of the venetian blind could: i) move the louver along the head rail (e.g., by pulling on a first operating cord or pull cord attached to an active end of the head rail); and ii) also rotate or tilt the louver about its vertical axis (e.g., by pulling on a second operating cord or tilt cord).
The carriers in the head rails of vertical blinds have also generally been provided with a plurality of longitudinally-extending spacers which keep the carriers and the louvers, supported by the carriers, in spaced-apart relationship when the carriers and louvers are moved longitudinally along the head rail, apart from each other, to close the blinds and cover their windows. Typically, the closed end or leading end of each spacer has been slidably positioned on a smooth horizontal surface within a longitudinally-extending channel or groove of a leading carrier and the open end or trailing end of the spacer has been fixed to an adjacent trailing carrier. See, for example, the carriers and their spacers in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,386, U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,657, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,202, U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,670 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,775.
The most trailing spacer on the most trailing carrier has typically been affixed to the active end of the head rail to keep the most trailing spacer from moving away from the active end (towards the passive other end of the head rail) when the blind has been closed. This has made it difficult to service and clean the parts of the head rail, adjacent the active end. This is because the most trailing carriers, spacers and slats have tended to block access to the head rail adjacent its active end and have not been easy to displace, even temporarily, away from the active end (i.e., longitudinally towards the passive end).
In order to be able to move the most trailing carriers and slats away from the active end of the head rails of vertical blinds, releasable connections have been provided between the most trailing carriers and the active ends of the head rails. See DE 36 20 039, U.S. Pat. No. 3,157,223 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,741. However, such releasable connections have not been entirely satisfactory since the most trailing carriers and slats of each such vertical blind have then had to be gripped, by hand, so that they could be moved away from the active end after the most trailing carrier had been released from the active end of its blind.
In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a releasable end stop is provided for an assembly of carriers and spacers that can be moved longitudinally within a head rail of an architectural covering, such as a covering for an architectural opening, particularly a vertical venetian blind, to open and close the covering; the end stop comprising:
a longitudinally-movable release plate, in the head rail, that is between an active end cap and a trailing spacer of a most trailing carrier and that is affixed to a trailing end of the trailing spacer of the most trailing carrier; and
a longitudinally-extending, flexible resilient tongue that is on the active end cap and is adapted to detachably hold the release plate against movement of the release plate away from the active end cap with longitudinal movement of the spacers and carriers away from the active end cap.
With this releasable end stop, the most trailing carriers and slats can be moved easily away from the active end of the head rails of vertical blinds to clean or service the active end, simply by pushing the release plate away from the active end.
Advantageously, the releasable end stop comprises a pair of tongues that are on a laterally-extending first end surface of an end plug of the active end cap; the first end surface being adjacent to the release plate. Especially advantageous is that the tongues are vertically aligned with each other and with a pair of vertically-aligned, horizontal surfaces of the release plate. Also especially advantageous is that each tongue has a hook at a leading edge, and the hooks extend towards each other, particularly where at least one of the tongues can be flexed vertically so that its hook is moved vertically, whereby a horizontal surface of the release plate can then be moved longitudinally over or under the hook to attach or detach the release plate and the end plug, quite particularly where a laterally-extending second end surface of the release plate has a pair of mating, vertically aligned, first notches, adjacent the horizontal surfaces where the first notches can be engaged and held by the hooks by moving the release plate longitudinally against the end plug. Also particularly advantageous is that both, of the tongues are highly flexible, so that the tongues can be flexed vertically to move their hooks vertically apart, whereby the horizontal surfaces of the release plate can then be moved longitudinally over or under the hooks to attach or detach the release plate from the hooks, by pushing on one vertical side of the release plate in a direction longitudinally away from the active end cap.
Also advantageously, there is a downwardly- and laterally-extending tab on the underside of the release plate. Further advantageously, there is a longitudinally extending hole through the release plate to accommodate draw cords. Yet further advantageously, there is a longitudinally-extending smooth second notch through a rear portion of the release plate to accommodate a tilt rod mounting member. Still further advantageously, there is a frontally-extending projection on a front surface of the release plate, and the bottom of the projection is horizontal and smooth, so that it can slide along a longitudinally-extending track on the front of the interior of the head rail when the release plate is moved longitudinally.
Other aspects of the invention include a head rail for an architectural covering, including this releasable end stop and an architectural covering, particularly a vertical Venetian blind, including this head rail.
Further aspects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description below of particular embodiments and the drawings.